Various types of a drive device are suggested for a hybrid vehicle having an engine and a motor as driving sources. For example, a known drive device for a hybrid vehicle includes an input shaft rotatably connected to an engine, an output shaft integrally connected to a rotor of a motor as a unit, and a clutch apparatus connecting the input shaft and the output shaft so as to be engageable with each other and disengageable from each other. The output shaft is connected to a transmission apparatus via a torque converter, thereby configuring a power train led to a driving wheel. Alternatively, the output shaft is directly connected to the transmission apparatus. Accordingly, the vehicle may be driven by the engine alone or the motor alone, or the vehicle may be driven by a combination of the engine and the motor when a large driving force is required. Furthermore, the motor may be used as a generator, so that a battery is charged by energy regeneration executed when the engine is driven or when brake is applied to the vehicle.
According to the known drive device for the hybrid vehicle, the input shaft and the output shaft are engaged with each other and disengaged from each other by means of the clutch apparatus. Therefore, the input shaft and the output shaft are allowed to rotate separately from and independently of each other. Hence, in order to detect a rotation angle, a rotation speed and the like of the rotor of the motor and the output shaft, a rotation angle sensor is generally used. A resolver using the law of electromagnetic induction is commonly used as the rotation angle sensor. The resolver is configured so that a resolver rotor is provided at the rotor of the motor and a resolver stator is provided at a case of the drive device. A harness connected to the resolver stator is arranged within the case and is led to an outside of the case via a relay terminal block. An arrangement (wiring) example of the resolver harness is disclosed in JP2009-142056A.
A vehicle drive device disclosed in JP2009-142056A includes a motor, a resolver and plural cooling oil passages. According to the vehicle drive device disclosed in JP2009-142056A, a resolver harness is arranged (wired) so as to avoid the cooling oil passages, each of which is defied by an outlet pipe curving in a direction orthogonal to a rotor shaft. Furthermore, as disclosed in Claim 3 and FIGS. 1 and 3 of JP2009-142056A, a U-shaped clamp portion is used in order to secure the resolver harness. Accordingly, a cooling performance may be ensured and the resolver harness may be avoided from being damaged.
Disclosed in JP2009-154824A is another example of a known technology relating to the retention of the harness. More specifically, disclosed in JP2009-154824A is a wiring configuration of a battery accommodating portion. According to JP2009-154824A, a harness, which is displaced in response to pilling out and storing of a battery stand, is attached at first and second clamp portions, which relatively displace the harness. Furthermore, a deflection portion, which deflects in a predetermined shape between the first and second clamp portions, is formed at the harness. Therefore, according to JP2009-154824A, the battery stand is surely pulled out and stored without being influenced by the wiring of the harness.
Generally, the rotation angle sensor including the resolver has a rotating portion, which is provided at a portion that rotates, and a fixing portion, which is provided at the case. Furthermore, generally, a relative angular position of the fixing portion is adjusted when attaching the rotation angle sensor in order to obtain an output corresponding to a rotational phase of the rotating portion. A position of the harness, which is connected to the fixing portion, may be changed in response to the adjustment of the relative rotation angle of the fixing portion. Therefore, when using the U-shaped clamp portion of JP2009-142056A, the harness may strain when the relative angular position of the fixing portion is adjusted, which may result in applying a tensile force to the harness and the harness may be broken. In order to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, a length of the harness may need to be set to have an allowance. However, in this case, the harness may move due to vibration of the vehicle, so that the harness may be rubbed against a case inner surface or contact the rotation portion such as the rotor and the like.
According to JP2009-154824A, which discloses that the harness is secured at two points and the deflection portion is formed at an intermediate portion between two securing portions, the harness may be avoided from being damaged. However, the configuration of the wiring of the harness may be complicated. The technology disclosed in JP2009-154824A is adaptable to a harness of a battery having a large current capacity. However, the technology disclosed in JP2009-154824A may not be suitable for a sensor harness generating a weak signal, because the configuration of the wiring becomes unnecessarily complicated, which may result in increasing manufacturing costs.
A need thus exists for a drive device for a hybrid vehicle and a case for the same which is not susceptible to the drawback mentioned above.